


Benevolent

by leemon



Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-20
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2021-02-18 03:10:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21504247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leemon/pseuds/leemon
Summary: Audrey appears in Joey Drew Studio. She does not remember who she is, as well as where she is. Everywhere in the studio, she finds different audios and notes, telling the story of Sammy, Susie, Joey and a thing they called 'Benevolent Demon' and how the whole Studio came crushing down.
Relationships: Joey Drew/Sammy Lawrence, Susie Campbell/Norman Polk
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1

Audrey woke up in a strange, dark place. Her head was spinning from the smell of ink coming from everywhere. She got out of the prison-like bed and, without even thinking, headed for the door. Only there she needed to go. The door was all rusted and dirty and very heavy, but that didn't matter to Audrey. All that mattered now was finding out where she was. And who is she? Audrey suddenly stopped just by the door. Tears ran down her ink-stained cheeks. She didn't remember anything. Nothing at all. "Come on, Audrey, pull yourself together," the girl encouraged herself, " Don't get upset, everything will soon fall into place," she took a deep breath and exhaled heavily, "everything will be fine". She left the room and found herself in a long corridor filled with different sounds. Something was making a noise, leaking through the pipes that hung from the ceiling and went down under the floor. Somewhere, someone was whispering in an unfamiliar language, calling. At one point Audrey thought someone was screaming. 'It's all so strange', she thought. She walked down by the corridor in search of someone in this strange place, who could help her, but she couldn't find even a single soul, although she heard voices from every corner. It seemed like they were coming from the walls, surrounding her.

Suddenly, goosebumps crawled over her skin. There were black shadows on the walls, blending with the ink, and heavy footsteps were heard just around the corner. It was clear that this someone was going exactly where the girl was. Audrey panicked and ran into the first room she found and immediately closed the door behind her, clinging to it, standing, waiting for something. Someone, or something, she wasn't sure, passed close by, growling, deep and angry. It stopped just outside the door where Audrey stood. She held her breath as if she were sure the creature could hear everything around him. Perhaps that helped, and a second later, the creature moved away from the door and continued on its way. The footsteps faded.

She was finally able to look around. The room itself was quite small. Against the wall opposite stood a single Desk, with a large number of torn papers and a single drawing on top of them. All walls were in ink and only somewhere was a visible wooden wall. The ink no longer surprised Audrey. Nothing in the world seemed to surprise her. She walked over to the table and picked up the drawing to examine it more closely. For some reason, it interested her the most. On a paper was a sketch with a small, roundish, demon in white gloves, with a bow and an even frightening and very wide smile, which did not stop the demon from looking friendly and harmless. The caption of the drawing said that is was Bendy, the dancing demon. 'Wow', Audrey thought, 'who knew demons could be cute'. She turned the paper, looking for the author's name or another sketch, but suddenly came across a letter. Audrey began to read it. It said:

'I don't know why I'm writing this. Maybe I've become so pessimistic that I'm starting to leave a trail just so someone can find it and help or just know what happened to this godforsaken Studio. It all started with an order from Joey Drew. He wanted to relive almost the mascot of the Studio - Bendy. And it wasn't supposed to be animatronics or anything, you wouldn't believe it, but it also was an idea that Mr. Drew just refused to accept. He wanted Bendy to be a living thing. Under 'living', he meant breathable and able to think independently. The people from GENT came with an "Ink Machine" made from Joey's blueprints. This machine was capable of creating creatures. Fucking magic. A fucking mystery. But it worked. And "Bendy" was created. A humanoid demon made of ink. And I don't mean he was the height of an average human, no, not only that, but he looked like a human and not at all like a chubby toon.'

Then the handwriting suddenly became almost illegible as if the author were in a hurry:

'Fuck, someone's coming, I can't continue this letter right now. Damn. Well, I'll write a continuation of this letter, but somewhere else. -S.L.'

Audrey didn't know how to react. She was scared for her life, but at the same time she wanted to know the continuation of the story, find out everything that happened in this place. And she would do anything for it. Well, almost anything - she wouldn't give her life. But she could fight someone. She put the letter in her pocket and left the room. There was no one around and it was much quieter, which was unusual. She continued on her way, quietly and cautiously. After a while, she came to a high-ceilinged passageway. A little farther on was the entrance to a barred elevator. She didn't know where it'd take her, but it was worth a try. Audrey went to the elevator. To the left from it was a stairway. It was cold. Like a draft. For some reason, it frightened her and she quickly pushed the bars and entered the elevator. She had a choice where she could go, but the floors were strangely numbered - in letters. It wasn't at all clear to someone new here. Like Audrey, for example. So she hit one of the letters at random and the elevator went down. Before the floor was completely hidden from her sight, the walls were again covered with what looked like shadows, and out of the darkness came an inhuman creature. It was very thin - its skeleton was visible through something black, like skin. The head had wide horns and the face was hidden behind the ink, that merged down from it. Only his terrible, wide smile was visible. He reminded Audrey of a dancing demon. Or what came of trying to revive him.


	2. Sammy

Joey often hid things from his employees. After GENT started working for the Studio there were even more secrets. The huge office on the second floor, next to the Music Department, was closed. No one was allowed in. Drew himself went there only once a day, dropped something off, stayed there for an hour at most, and didn't come back until the next day. What was there, no one knew. Even Thomas Connor, who ran the whole 'Ink Machine' business. He only knew that after the first start of the machine, a lump of ink came out of it and crawled into this room. To the rest, he says that the ink simply flowed out there. But he knew it was moving on its own. 

Sammy Lawrence, the head of the Music Department at Joey Drew Studios, didn't like the increased number of secrets. He adored his boss, even too much, but that trait infuriated him. He couldn't stop complaining about it to his colleague Susie, who listened with interest.   
"I am tired of all this," he continued, "You can't call it a day if there are no new secrets of Mr. Drew. I sometimes think he hired an entire Studio just to keep secrets from someone. It's like his hobby, isn't it?" He took another sip of his cold coffee and grimaced at the bitterness. He didn't much care for coffee, especially cold. Susie laughed and set her cup, also with cold coffee, on the table and looked at the guy sitting in front of her. He seemed to her cute, but mostly only in appearance. He had red-brown curly hair and black, deep eyes. He was pale and thin. He always looked tired of life. The girl referred to him:  
"Sammy, don't get so mad about it. I'm sure there are reasons for all this, that we'll find out sooner or later." She looked calmly at her colleague, who was already flushed with anger but could not force out more than one argument against her words, and soon gave up altogether. Susie always managed to calm him down.

A tall man with very shaggy hair and square glasses passed them. Over his shoulders was draped a gray cloak, under which he very often hid his hands. There was a pain in his face. Sammy rose from his seat when he realized that the man was barely standing on his feet and was about to fall, and caught him.  
"Mr. Drew!", he panicked, "What's wrong?". Drew didn't answer. He looked guiltily away from Lawrence, which disappointed him. "Well, whatever it is, I'll at least help you get to your office". He glanced briefly at his colleague, who looked sad and even a little scared, although it was not clear from what. As Sammy led the man to the office, the man backed away from him and was about to disappear through the door when the guy called out to him, causing Drew to stop: "Joey". He turned around. "Please explain what's going on. You can see everyone's worried about you..." He paused for a second, then continued, "I'm worried about-", but Joey cut him off.  
"Don't Sammy. I appreciate it but don't worry about me. I'll be fine". Immediately after, he began to shake and cough, slowly sliding on the floor. Sammy picked him up again. 'Yeah, he'll be alright. Right', he thought. He led Joey into his office and sat him down. The man's face was full of shame. "Okay, maybe it's not that magical..." he croaked. Drew looked at his assistant. He was glad to see Sammy before him and not anyone else. No one else would have understood him like Sammy Lawrence. No one else would have accepted. No one else would have helped. Or just wouldn't be ready to help. Everyone was afraid of or disliked Joey Drew. Of course, Susie was also nice to him, but he had noticed that lately she, too, had begun to be afraid of him. "What would I do without you, Sammy...", he laughed. The guy was pleased to hear that, but he could see that Joey was just trying to stall. He knew that Lawrence would not leave without answers. He exhaled heavily. "I'm sick", Joey whispered, "And I'm afraid I'll never get well again and I don't think anything will help me...". Sammy squatted down in front of Drew and looked into his eyes. There were tears in them.  
"Come on", said Lawrence, "Don't be discouraged, even if you can't help it. You can still live life as you want it to be, and this is already something". He smiled. He wasn't much of a cheerleader, but he had to say something. Joey smiled back. "Do you want me to stay with you until you feel a little better?" Drew shook his head.  
"No, you need to go to the others, record the music for the episode. There's not much time left." The man cleared his throat again, covering his mouth with his hand. When he removed it, he would have liked to see blood there, it would have been so much easier, but instead, there was ink on his palm. He tucked it under his cloak. "Come on, go". Sammy shrugged, got up, and walked to the door, glancing at his boss.  
"See you later, Mr. Drew". He nodded and Lawrence left the room.

The workday was almost over and everyone in Joey Drew Studio was going home. Sammy Lawrence said goodbye to the members of the orchestra. By him passed a voice actress of one of the main roles in cartoons from Sillyvision, Susie Campbell. He stopped her putting his hand on her shoulder and caught her attention.  
"There's one thing I need to show you", Lawrence whispered, " let's go".  
"You mean, I don't have a choice, like going home?". The girl laughed. Sammy smiled and shook his head. Susie howled theatrically and was about to follow her colleague from the recording Studio when a voice came from above:  
"Where are you going?". It was Norman Polk. Quiet Projectionist that usually doesn't make a single peep.   
"None of your business", the musician replied irritably, looking up at Polk's booth, where stood a huge projector, usually showing the episode to which the orchestra records the music. Sammy and Susie, who felt very guilty about Norman, continued on their way.  
"Yeah, yeah, fuck me", Norman said resentfully, glancing at the girl. She stopped Lawrence as soon as they came out of the Studio.  
"Wait." Sammy rolled his eyes. Susie smiled and ran next door, where there were stairs to the Projectionist's booth. She climbed in and immediately addressed him.  
"Excuse Sammy, Norman, you know he can be a jerk sometimes." Campbell smiled encouragingly. Polk turned away. Girl exhaled and has drawn to a man. His blond hair was slicked back. His round glasses were coming off his aquiline nose, his gray eyes were sad. Norman's face was flushed. Susie touched him, making him turn to her. "I won't be late, I promise". Norman nodded. They were going to the cinema for a recent movie. Movies were very interesting for both of them, so Campbell did not want to refuse the invitation of the man, especially since she loved to be in his company. Susie kissed him on the cheek, embarrassing Polk even more. "See you soon!"  
"Someday you'll kill me!", he called after her, at which she just laughed as she hurried downstairs, back to Sammy.   
"Okay, what did you want to show me?". Lawrence waved his hands, gesturing the girl to follow him. They entered one of the corridors, passing too many doors. Sammy had never understood why there were so many. At last, they reached the end, where there was an old, rusty, and seemingly heavy door closed to everyone in the Studio except Joey Drew. "Sammy, no." Campbell already knew what the guy wanted to do. Lawrence ignored her. He lowered himself to the level of the keyhole and pulled out a handmade lock pick. "Come on", Susie said with a disappointed sigh. After a minute of trying to open the door, the lock clicked and they could enter the room. "Do you even know what is in there? What if there's something dangerous?" Lawrence shook his head, which irritated the girl even more. Sammy cautiously opened the door and stepped inside. After a moment's thought, Susie followed him in, closing the door behind her. It was incredibly dark inside. But not in the sense that the lights were off. Everything was just black.   
"What the hell?", whispered the musician. There was a note of disappointment in his voice. He had expected something more interesting.   
"Listen, maybe there's nothing in here?", Campbell started to say, but suddenly, in the far corner, something began to growl. They both turned toward the source of the sound. They wanted very much to leave the room at once, but they were paralyzed with fear and with the realization that they had not overheard it. Where the roar had come from, a figure sat, blending into the black walls. At first, it just sat, but then it started to get up slowly. The growl grew louder. Sammy turned toward the door, but a black liquid was beginning to cover it too. The first thing he thought of was ink. He felt a woman's hand on his shoulder and turned to Susie. She stared in horror in the corner. Lawrence looked the same way. Directly in front of them stood a tall human figure, but with broad horns on its head. There was a bow tie on, not around, his collarbone and a white glove on one of his hands. His face was almost completely covered by the same liquid that covered the entire room. The growl stopped. The creature surveyed its intruders and then retreated a couple of steps, shaking its head in disbelief. An indistinct whisper seemed to pass through the room. The creature wanted to say something but couldn't. It clutched at its head, crouching and howling. All, presumably, the ink flowed under it, clearing the entire room and revealing, at last, the wooden walls.   
"What are you?" Susie broke the silence. The creature raised its head. There was no way to read any emotion on his face except by his mouth, for that was the only visible feature of his face. He wasn't smiling. It was as if he could utter a sea of explanations, but he had no words. "You're numb, aren't you?" The creature nodded. Campbell turned to Sammy, who was looking at it with great interest and pity. He stepped a step closer to it.   
"Bendy?", Lawrence whispered. The creature raised its head even higher and straightened, nodding. "Damn it, they did it...". Sammy stepped closer, studying the Demon as if trying to look into eyes that weren't there. He held out his hand to his face. The creature leaned forward and clung to his palm. Lawrence suddenly recoiled, shocked. "You communicate _this way_??" Susie stood on the sidelines and didn't understand anything as Sammy made a full acquaintance with the creature calling itself Bendy. It seemed he could only communicate when he was touched, but there were consequences. Lawrence put his hand to the Demon's forehead again, but this time the ink began to quickly cover his palm, and then all the way to his shoulders. The boy quickly withdrew his hand and took a step back. Bendy ran back to his corner, startled. It was obvious that he didn't want to hurt anyone, but he wasn't making decisions at the moment. Campbell pulled Sammy away from him.   
"I told you this whole thing was dangerous!" She said. The musician felt no guilt or shame. He looked with interest at the ink that was slowly draining from his hand. When the liquid was completely gone, Lawrence had a black spot on his palm, like a birthmark. "We need to leave. We shouldn't have been here at all from the beginning." Susie had already touched the door handle when she realized that her colleague was not listening to her at all and went back to Bendy. He crouched in a corner, hiding his head with his thin hands. He was shaking. The boy squatted down in front of him.   
"Bendy," the creature raised its head and looked at Lawrence, " I'll be back, okay?" It shook its head, telling him not to do it, but the musician stood his ground. "It's not fair that you sit here day and night, by yourself, in fear of yourself." Bendy's shoulders began to shake. It looked like he was crying. "See you later", he smiled and stood up. The demon stared at him.   
Campbell and Lawrence left the room and walked in silence for a while. As soon as they reached the exit of the Studio, the girl broke the silence.   
"You're crazy." Sammy burst out laughing. "God, you're an idiot, Sammy! I can't believe what you just got yourself into." The girl was furious. She did not support the idea of meeting with inhumane ink creatures in secret. "I won't help you if something happens to you! Figure it out yourself." The girl straightened her hair and walked out at a brisk pace. The musician called to her:  
"I don't need your help, Susie." She stopped. "But Bendy needs. He was talking about you."  
"What?"  
"Yes, he was talking about you. He heard you singing. He liked it. He wants you to teach him." The guy smiled, seeing the girl's cheeks flushed, whether from shame, or embarrassment.   
"I... I'll think about it."


	3. Audio

Audrey had never had to fight or run away from anyone in fear, but that was exactly what she was doing while trying to find a way out of Joey Drew's abandoned Studio. But that wasn't the only thing she did. The girl tried to find more information from the mysterious "S. L." who wrote about the events that led the Studio to this state. After that letter, she couldn't find anything, to her regret. Audrey was still thinking about the Demon they'd created. And whom she had seen in person. The thought of him gave her the creeps. Why the hell is he so scary? The letter didn't say he was scary. Just that he looks human. This monster did not look like a man even if you stand far away and squint. It was a real demon.

Finally, the girl came to one of the departments of the Studio. It wasn't huge, but it wasn't small, too. For the most part, there were rooms with desks and projectors. On one of the walls was a beautiful inscription "Joey Drew Studios", decorated with swirls and drawings. Audrey walked into a long, low-ceilinged room lined with work desks with lots of drawings on them. She hoped to find another letter, but all she found was a small note with another picture of Bendy on it.   
"He found out we were with him... S. L."   
She put the note in her pocket. This story became, personally for her, more interesting and more interesting. She thought about it a lot. What could have gone wrong? And how did Joey Drew even manage to create this Demon?... Only letters could answer her questions. This was her quest. Like a game. 'Hopefully, there won't be a boss fight at the end of it to get out of here', she thought.

There was a sudden sound of music, which startled Audrey. She turned sharply toward the exit, hoping to see someone to or from whom she would have to run because it would be so much easier, but there was no one in the doorway. She walked slowly in the direction of the music. The sound came from the end of the corridor, directly opposite of the room she was in. It was terrible to think who or what might be at the end of it waiting for Audrey, but she tried not to think much about it, although it was given to her with great difficulty.  
'Why can't I just walk out of here, huh?', thought she, walking by the door marked "Exit", 'Oh, maybe because you're looking for adventure on your ass, huh, Audrey?... Someday I'll put me under the knife myself', she exhaled. The melody was painfully familiar, like nostalgic memories of better times. Audrey's legs buckled, her head began to spin like a crazy carousel, she could not think, concentrate. The song was bursting into every corner of her brain, reminding her, making her remember something long forgotten. Something long ago told.

"Someday under lightning skies

You'll meet someone worse all wars

And you'll be first very frightened

And think 'oh, it will be my end'

But don't judge by the looks my dear

You see - this one's nice to me

They'll save you from all the troubles you'll meet

They can help you feel better  
when  
you  
weep"

The man could not normally pull himself together. Since his wife had left him, he had no strength for anything. His child sits alone in its room and in the house, which was always full of children's laughter and friendly conversations, silence reigned. The man wanted to put everything back in place, but it seemed nothing would ever be the same...  
A child's voice came from behind:  
"Why aren't you sleeping, dad?" The man turned around. His daughter was standing there. Her black wavy hair, which was always braided, lay on her shoulders. Her pajamas were covered in stars. They glowed in the darkness. His father smiled sadly. It hurt him to show his sadness, the last thing he wanted was for his daughter to be sad. "It's late and you need to go to bed. If it's hard for you to fall asleep, I can sing to you. Good?" Father nodded. The girl took her father's hand and led him to his bedroom. She climbed up on the bed and lay down beside her father, hugging him, and began to sing...

Audrey woke up in a small, clean room. There was almost nothing around except a table and a couple of chairs. There was a kerosene lantern on the table. The girl sat down on the bunk and immediately took up her head. Everything was still going around. She was approached by a stranger. He was taller than she was.   
"Ah, you're awake. Are you still sick?" The girl nodded and she was immediately served a mug of water. She took a sip. The water was warm. "I don't usually hand out water just like that - there's not much of it anyway, but I saw the state you were in and decided you need it now." He held out his hand and helped her to stand up. Finally, Audrey was able to examine her savior. She almost fell again. He wore a mask with Bendy's head on it, but it was painted all over with ink. His body wasn't exactly human - he was terribly thin and covered in ink. He was wearing some kind of a jumpsuit almost entirely stained with the same ink.   
"Who are you?" Audrey said, a little startled. The man frowned.   
"Why are you afraid of me? And it's after I saved you..."   
"Oh, uh, you know..." She pointed to his body. The stranger took the hint.  
"Oh, well. One point in your favor." He held out a leather-gloved hand. "I'm Sammy. Except for the name and the fact that I was a musician, I, unfortunately, do not remember anything else. And who are you? I've definitely never seen you..."Sammy examined the girl. Her appearance seemed impossible to him. Her eyes were completely golden and light. The ink flowed from them. Her neck and the left side of her body were also covered in ink. She seemed... unreal. It felt like she was on her way to becoming a Lost One, but it was as if the process had been slowed down or stopped altogether. She actually seemed lost.  
"I'm Audrey. Erm... everything okay?" Sammy caught himself staring at the girl in pure shock.  
"Oh, yeah, sorry. I just..... You know what? Forget it. Come with me." He waved his hand, showing Audrey to follow him. She shrugged and followed him.   
The man led her out of the room. Before them was a long dark corridor. Sammy took the kerosene lantern from the table and the axe that hung near the door.   
"Be careful. It's dark and you can't see the ink."  
"What happens if I'll step in it?" He looked at her and then pointed to his body. Audrey nodded and they went out into the corridor. It felt like there was no end to it. The lantern illuminated the walls, painted black, and only occasionally was the wall itself visible. On the floor, she saw a puddle of ink, and right before she stepped in it, she had to jump over. Sammy smiled at her. 'Good job, Audrey', she told herself. The man seemed safe. She wouldn't mind being friends with him.

  
Suddenly, from the front, where there was a fork to the left and right, an angry growl was heared.   
"Run to the right!", Sammy shouted to the girl, pushing her forward. To the left, the same thin shadows that Audrey had seen earlier were approaching. She caught sight of Sammy out of the corner of her eye, standing with an axe in his hand, ready to face the monster that was coming closer and closer. It was dark all around, since Sammy still had the kerosene lantern, but she could still find the door. Which was locked. Audrey started banging and screaming in panic, hoping to be let in. There was a scuffle behind her. It was like Sammy was losing. She didn't want to believe it. The door opened abruptly and someone behind it pulled her inside, immediately closing the door. Before the girl could properly see who saved her, she immediately began to scream:  
"Sammy! Sammy is still there!". A stranger in a thick jumpsuit and a mask on his mouth pushed Audrey away from the door and closed her mouth, putting a finger to his mouth. On his head were two black, wolf-like ears. They started to stir. The sounds outside the door faded.   
"Motherfucker, don't you realize that the Ink Demon can hear you?", he turned to Audrey, " Especially when you're yelling like hell! You could have put us all in danger, you know that?!". A girl in a thick sweater and a long skirt came up to him. She had leather gloves on her hands and on her head were... horns? She turned to the man in a soothing, almost singing voice.   
"Come on, Tom, don't be so rude. She's probably new here. And speaking of that...", this time the girl turned to Audrey," How did you get here?"  
"I don't know," she said, " I just woke up in a similar room..."The girl looked around. The room was indeed similar , with little furniture and no ink.   
"Hmm, okay. I'm Allison, this is Tom. There are two other people in the next room. It always does not hurt to get acquainted with as many people as possible. Especially in this place, " she shrugged, "it's even safer." Allison waved her hand and they went into the next room. Fortunately for Audrey, no one asked about her appearance. Maybe only Sammy was that surprised.

A girl with shoulder-length black hair sat in the room. There were two sharp horns on her head, just like Allison's, and a halo stuck on her forehead. Ink was leaking from the wound it'd left. One of the girl's eyes was black, as were her hands. She was wearing a knee-length sundress. Next to her sat a young curly-haired guy with the same ears as Tom. His face was also covered with a gauze mask. He was wearing a hard-fabric t-shirt and a dirty tartan jumpsuit. Both turned sharply toward Audrey, Allison, and Tom as they entered the room.   
"Who is this?", The girl turned to Allison,"have you brought a stranger again? He is already enough”, She pointed to the guy next to her. He looked at her insulted.  
"This girl was coming here with Sammy. He didn't make it, but she did," Allison introduced the newcomer.   
"I'm Audrey..." she said. Everyone looked over. This made the girl startle. It was as if they knew something that she would have to learn.   
"And I'm Alice," purred the girl, who at first was not happy with Audrey's arrival. Now she was very much interested in her. The guy next to her introduced himself too:  
"My name is Wally. We've been here a long time, " he smiled pleasantly. Friendly, immediately visible. "There are actually more people here, but everyone has fled to the most carved corners of the Studio. Hiding, " he shrugged. Audrey smiled back at him. So far, she felt safe, but she was still worried about her lost friend.   
"What about Sammy?", she turned to Tom and Allison. Now Tom spoke up.   
"He always gets out of trouble like that. It's not the first time he's had a fight with the Ink Demon," he grinned, "He's the only one who's crazy enough to challenge him at all. The fucking Demon could have learned by now not to go where Sam is." It was clear that Tom was proud of Him.

Everyone in a safe place went where they wanted to go. Tom went to rest, and Allison stayed in the same room where Wally and Alice were sitting. Alice took the lamp and part of the metal pipe and, despite the fact that she was told not to leave the room, she left and disappeared into the dark corridors of the Studio. Wally stayed with Allison.   
"You know, we think we know who you are, but we're not quite sure yet. After a while, we'll go to the man who almost runs this place now, " the guy said to Audrey, pouring her what they called soup. It smelled like bacon and ink, but it tasted edible. "I would not say that he is directly omniscient. He missed a very large part of what happened here, but he's a leader. We all agreed with it. He was Joey Drew's best friend, you know..." Audrey nodded. She only knew about Joey from S. L.'s letters.. She does not think she knows more about him than what was said there. She didn't mind going somewhere. There was no point in staying in one place, because then she would never have gotten out of it. "This man's name is Henry. You see, a lot of people lose some parts of their memory by going a little crazy, but Henry, Oh no, he remembers everything, very clearly. If anyone can tell you how you got here and why, it's him." Wally finished his soup and looked at Allison, who had not yet said anything, but was just listening, reading something. Audrey recognized the letters she was collecting. She tried to pick them up, but Allison pulled her hand away.  
"What is it and where did you find it?"Audrey somehow felt guilty, even though she had done nothing wrong.   
"Letters or just a story in the form of letters. They were in different parts of the Studio"  
"And why do you need them? Do they mean anything?" Allison continued to stand her ground.   
"I'm putting together a complete picture, letter by letter. They say what happened to the Studio, " Audrey said, and reached for the notes again. This time she was able to get them back.  
"Let me explain. Whatever is in these letters is utter nonsense. This S. L.... He doesn't know anything. Already from what he says is clear." Audrey frowned. Allison's words sounded like excuses, an attempt to hide something. "We're moving right now. We can't waste time. Wally, wake up Tom. Tell him to take the machete. You'll have to be careful without Sammy." The girl got up from the table and went to the exit. Wally gave her a sad look.   
"She's not always like that, believe me. It's just that she must have been hurt by something in the letters themselves..."He got up, too, and they followed her together.

The corridors again greeted them with darkness and ink. There were whispers all around, and someone was talking. Are these people in the walls or the rooms behind them? No one will forget. And no one seems to be paying attention. Like it's something normal. Audrey thought this was a logical conclusion. She kept thinking about the letters. But she didn't forget about Henry. The name reminded her of someone, but who... A lump rose in Audrey's throat. It was hard for her to stand and breathe. What was happening to her? Why is she always ill? She could not understand the reason for her bouts of slobbery. In her head, someone was whispering something soothing. Before her eyes stood a figure, broad-shouldered, tall... It seemed that it was very safe with it. It was only a couple of minutes later when others started pushing her, waking her up with that. Audrey didn't trust her fellow passengers very much and was ready to leave at any opportunity. She looked around for a quick escape. She was attracted by the small room that the company passed through. The room beckoned to her. And she did not contradict to it. Audrey looked around at the others and slipped inside before they could see. The room contained only a wardrobe and a table on which stood a dictaphone. She pressed the button to listen to the audio she hoped to find there. And there was actually audio recorded. A familiar voice began its message:  
"Here's my first audio. It's faster than writing letters...Bendy... He's incredible. Very interesting... Not that he can do much, but he's intelligent! He understands everything and has his own ways of communicating. Through ink, I think. But it's better not to touch it often, that's for sure. They... tighten. That's why Susie and I started teaching him to speak or just explain with gestures. It takes longer than we thought, considering that we are constantly tired after work. It is like teaching a person who is already fully formed to speak from the very beginning. Susie draws on the walls, teaching Bendy. Today she was explaining to him what Flowers were."  
Then another voice joined in. This one was tired, hoarse, but there was a sweetness, a precision in his voice.   
"-Sammy dear, what are you doing here?  
-Ah, Mr. Drew, I am... I was just resting! Is the pause over?  
-Yes, your employees are looking for you.  
-Oh, Yes, no problem, I'll be right there.   
\- Great..."  
There were footsteps and the creaking of the door, but before it was fully closed, the man turned back to the narrator.  
"And come to my office after work, will you? I have something to tell you..."  
The audio ended there. Now Audrey knew who the letters were from. Sammy? Was it Sammy all this time? Unbelievably...

Someone touched Audrey's shoulder, making her turn. She turned fearfully, expecting to see one of those with whom she was walking, but to her great happiness it was not one of them. Sammy was standing in front of her. She didn't wonder how he'd survived or how he'd found her, she was just glad.   
"What are we doing here?", Audrey laughed nervously.   
"I wanted to see what's here..", Sammy nodded in understanding.   
"Are you here yourself? You still haven't met the others?"  
"Ah, yeah, they went on", The Man crossed his arms and frowned at the girl.  
"I'm sure no one allowed you to separate from the group", Audrey was ashamed to argue. They left the room and went where they were supposed to go - to Henry, whose name made Audrey dizzy.


	4. Susie

Joey was heading to the room with his secrets. In this dark room sat someone who could hardly be called human - a Demon. Helpless and not perfect at all. Ugly. Meaningless. Why did Drew create him? Why would he do that? To fulfill his dreams. Make something unreal, real. To bring the inanimate to life. Bendy is magic. Purest. And terrifying. The satanic level. 

The dancing Demon was supposed to be numb, small and plump, like a child. What happened was... tall, thin, and scary. But also numb. They differed in both expectation and reality. Like ideas and dreams about something beautiful and realization, disappointment from what eventually came out. But this is a harsh reality. Now that... is a stupid, but truly weird thought. 

The man entered the room, which was completely black, but as soon as the door closed, the blackness spread out and the owner of the room appeared before his master. Drew was not startled by the sudden appearance of the inky figure.   
"And, how are you?" Bendy nodded. Not bad. "Is there nothing new?" He shook his head. No. What could have happened? That two employees come to him every night and spend their precious time teaching the Demon? That he was finally not alone? Bendy was in no hurry to break the news. Joey walked to the middle of the room. Bendy watched him. "I will teach you gestures, because you can't speak, and I need to understand you somehow." He didn't even check to see if Bendy could talk. He never tried to teach him. Unlike Sammy and Susie, who came and taught him despite their fatigue. Believe in him. Bendy was able to learn a few words. He wanted to surprise them today. They would be proud of him. 

Joey and Bendy spent a good two hours learning different gestures. After drew taught Bendy to show different letters, he asked him to show His name. Instead of gesticulating "Joey Drew", the Demon showed an umbrella.   
"Umbrella? Why?" he asked. Bendy nodded and pointed to Drew's cloak. "What do you think this has to do with an umbrella?". Bendy pointed to his entire body and showed the umbrella again. "Do I look like an umbrella in this cloak? Yeah, okay, thanks, Bendy." He laughed. The demon tried to laugh too, but it didn't make a sound. 

After a few minutes, Joey finally left and Bendy was alone again. He had developed claustrophobia during the time he had spent in this room. He couldn't imagine what it would look like outside the door. From fear, everything was covered with shadows, darkness mixed with ink. It's better not to see the room. It is better to feel in emptiness, than in squeezing four walls.

Sammy played the last beat, the music stopped, and the projector turned off. Lawrence thanked the band for their good work and let them all go home. From above, from the Projectionist's booth, a quite applause was heared. Some members of the orchestra heard it, bowed and left the Studio with a smile. Sammy smiled and went upstairs. Norman and Susie were sitting there. Happy. Always calm. Together. Sammy was happy for them, but he was sick of thinking about love. Maybe because his love is unrequited. And it is unlikely that he will ever get love from a person so closed and complex...  
"Would you mind if I took Susie away from you again for the evening, Norman?".The man nodded, laughing.   
"It's pointless to refuse you, Mr. Lawrence, it's already your routine"  
"It won't be for long, Norman." Susie kissed him, briefly and tenderly. Sammy felt awkward. Finally the couple said good-bye and Campbell went with Sammy to break the lock on the farthest door on the music Department floor again. 

The darkness parted. Bendy was back in the corner. Susie came up to him, wary.   
"Bendy?". He looked up at her for a moment. It was immediately clear that he was glad to see them both. They spent the next hours talking, gesticulating, and learning all sorts of things. The girl was so tired that she could not concentrate on anything, so Sammy suggested that she just sit near the wall and relax.  
"We'll be leaving soon, don't worry." He smiled at her and returned to Bendy as She began to draw flowers on the wall. She was very fond of flowers and was happy to tell Bendy about them today. The demon looked at her and tried to move his mouth to say something. Susie and Sammy took notice and held their breaths in anticipation.   
"F...Flower...". The girl stood up in shock. She couldn't believe her ears. Bendy's voice was deep, husky, but so light, so relaxed. Susie was incredibly proud. Sammy couldn't shake away the shock. He was so proud of Bendy, that despite everything simply jumped on him with hugs. A moment later, the girl joined him, too. They were incredibly proud of him. But he had one more word to say. He turned his head to the man who had stopped hugging him and said, more calmly, "Sun." Bendy gave two thumbs up. Lawrence was so happy for the first time in a very long time. 

How could you hate someone who was so friendly? And helpless? The news went around the Studio that Joey Drew wanted to destroy the "Monster". Everyone was in favor of the idea. Only Susie and Sammy were against this, because they were the only ones who knew Bendy for what He really was. Magnificent. But there was no way they could change that. They couldn't explain why they wanted to protect him.   
Lawrence sat in his own private sanctuary, where no one was allowed to enter, and recorded his thoughts on a dictaphone so that he would not forget any interesting thing that comes to his mind. Maybe he'll need it later. Or else, someone will use these audios against him. Who knows?   
"...I'll try to convince him. I think I can do it, " Sammy breathed. For some reason, his voice was shaking. Perhaps from fear, or perhaps from something else... "We're after all supposed to be... close... right?...". He tried to convince himself of it. At that moment someone knocked on his door. "Damn!". He was frightened and quickly pressed the button to turn off the dictaphone. But he missed. Lawrence went to the door and pressed a lever to open it. Norman stood behind it. Tall, with blonde hair that was already streaked with gray. His suede jacket was unbuttoned and his shirt was too ironed. He looked very angry. Norman lunged at Sammy and grabbed him by the turtleneck, pinning him to the wall. Polk turned to him, almost shouting:  
"Where's Susie, you fucking sheep? What did you do to her?!". There was sadness in his anger. Jealousy even. Lawrence didn't know what he meant.   
"What?? I didn't do anything to her!". Polk let him go. Sammy had literally three seconds to remember the last time he saw a girl. "The last time I saw her was At the recording room. Then a man from GENT took her. He said it was on Jo-..."Sammy corrected himself," Mr. Drew’s order." He wasn't allowed to call his boss by his first name. That would mean intimacy for the rest of the Studio. Disgustingly. He never understood why but he didn’t want to try.  
"Do you know where they went?". Lawrence shrugged his shoulders. He was beginning to worry about it, too. What does Joey want from Susie at GENT's?

Sammy and Norman went to where the huge and noisy Ink Machine hung. It created a lot of noise and problems with its leaks. A stairway led down to where the Corporation's employees were usually stationed. Joey Drew's weary voice came from there.   
"This should work." Someone answered him with a question. Joey said indignantly, "Of course, it's safe! I would never put my employees in danger!". Norman and Sammy exchanged glances. There was pure horror on both their faces. Then a woman's melodious voice spoke. Susie Was Talking. She was just as scared:  
"Mr. Drew... I doubt it a little." She stopped. Something made her stop talking. "It’s..."  
"Yes, this is Bendy, Miss Campbell." Joey started flicking the lighter. Exhaled. Sammy let out a frustrated sigh. The man promised Lawrence that he would stop smoking... Empty promise. "He's not exactly perfect, but he's intelligent, alive." Susie knew it better than anyone. Bendy tried not to let on that he knew her. Norman started to descend lower, but the musician grabbed him by the shoulder in an attempt to stop him.  
"What are you doing? They’ll notice us!", he whispered. Polk pulled away from the grip and ignored his words, continuing to descend.   
"If you don't want to save Susie, you can go back to your sanctuary." Sammy rolled his eyes. Drama Queen.   
"Oh no, Mister Oh-So-Serious, if you're going to get involved in some weird shit, you can't do it alone." He didn't want to leave it like this. Both Susie and Norman were important to him. 

The voices became clearer and louder. They could hear some liquid flowing. An unpleasant smell of ink filled their noses. It was impossible to breathe. They didn't understand why it was so easy to breath for those below. Sammy heard Joey's voice again:  
"Just try to understand me, Miss Campbell, it is for your own well-being!". Susie mumbled something in response. Her mouth was closed. After that, there was a sound like something heavy being thrown into the water. And then closing the hatch. The most horrible versions of what was going on appeared in men’s heads. Norman was shaking. He had a view of what was happening. Sammy couldn't see anything, so he decided to get around his collegue to finally figure out what was going on there.

In his eyes tears appeared. All those good days with Susie passed before his eyes. Sammy was sure that Norman was ready to cry out of the blue. He'll definitely need some time on his own. Away from this damned place. Lawrence didn't mind joining in.   
In the middle of the room was a huge tank of formalin with non-dissolving ink. Susie was swimming inside. She didn't move. Her eyes were closed. Her mouth was open, as if in a silent scream. Her body didn't sink to the bottom. It felt like she was levitating. Next was Joey Drew, talking to a GENT employee. His name was Tom. While they were arguing, Bendy, who was still there, went over to formalin. Norman was about to run to him and start protecting Susie's defenseless body, but Sammy grabbed him and made him watch. Polk resisted, but then saw what the Demon was doing. He put his hand on the glass and then his head. The ink from his face dripped to the floor like tears. A voice that wasn't Joey’s or Tom’s spoke:  
"Flower..." Tears began to flow down Lawrence's cheeks. "Not you..." Norman and Sammy leaned against the wall and slid to the floor. The projectionist hid his head in his lap and was unable to function in any way. The musician was still trying to listen to Bendy. "You're not Alice..." What does he mean? Alice... Like a cartoon character?

Bendy turned toward the intruders. He knew they were there. The demon looked around at Drew, who was still talking to the technician, and after making sure that he was busy, he walked slowly to the corner where Norman and Sammy were sitting.   
"Sun?" Lawrence started and turned to the source of the voice. Bendy was standing right at the door. Sammy jumped up to him.  
"Damn it, they’ll find us, go away!" The creature didn't listen to him. He looked at Norman as if he could feel his pain. Bendy lowered himself to him, and the man finally raised his head. From what he saw, he moved a meter away from the Creature, giving all his strength in an attempt not to yell. "Hush, hush! Bendy, you scared him!" The demon looked up at the man, as if guiltily. Polk watched in shock the calm conversation between Bendy and Sammy. A minute later, Bendy heard footsteps and Joey Drew's voice calling. He started panicking and waving at the men to get out of here, but there wasn't much time. The next thing Both of them saw was ink. A lot of ink. Everywhere. There was a feeling that they could easily suffocate, but there was enough air. Blackness like a blanket snatched them both away. And then it blurred like water, and they appeared in a different room. Square, empty, and with one small door. Flowers were painted in ink on the wall.   
"Where are we? How did we get here? What the hell?!" Norman didn’t knew what the fuck was going on. Sammy really didn't want to be here right now. He went to the door and told Polk to follow him. They went out into a corridor with too many doors. The men walked through it in complete silence until they reached the recording Studio. "What just happened?" Begging for answers, Norman said in an afterlife voice. In a little more than twenty minutes, a lot of things happened to him that were very hard to believe, and not one of them was pleasant. Nothing had ever happened in his life before Susie! Everything was quieter than a stone that no one can move. Sammy turned to look at him. Polk was whiter than paper.  
"I don't know what happened to Susie, but I know Bendy." The projectionist looked up at him. His eyes were red and swollen with tears. "We went to him with her... He called her a Flower because she loved them and kept drawing them on the walls...of the room in which we appeared." There was laughter from behind. Lawrence turned in horror, only to see Joey Drew in person. He wasn't furious, but he was definitely disappointed in the person closest to him in this Studio.   
"Sammy..." The musician swallowed. He regretted everything at that moment. He let Joey down. What a shame. "Come with me. And you, Mr. Polk."He looked at the man full of mourning and horror. "I suggest you take a break." Norman nodded and left them immediately.

Sammy and Joey sat in the office in silence. Drew examined Lawrence as he searched for any reason not to look back. But at last he spoke:  
"Why do you need me, Mr. Drew?"  
"Since when am I ‘Mister‘ to you, Sammy?" The musician was down. He didn't want to think about it now. Drew continued. "How long have you known about Bendy?"  
"Several months." He answered immediately. Sammy wanted to get this conversation over with, but Joey continued to talk slowly and thoughtfully.  
"My dear Sammy, I don't know how you did it, and I don't know why you and Mr. Polk suddenly wanted to spy on what happened on the GENT employees' territory, but what you know shouldn't be spread around the studio, okay?" Sammy nodded. Anything to get rid of this nightmare. But he won't leave Bendy. No way. Even if Joey told him not to. Even if he starts bargaining and sucking up. Even If Joey... "Now, Sammy," Lawrence tensed, " Tell me, why can Bendy talk? Did you and Miss Campbell teach him that?". He nodded again. Joey nodded back, understanding. In a way, it was fun to keep Sammy here and ask questions. On the other hand, he just wanted him to stay longer...  
"Mr. Drew...". Joey looked at Lawrence in surprise. Really, since when does he call him ’Mr. Drew’? What's up with Sammy. ‘Oh, no’, Drew thought, suddenly realizing that he was afraid of Lawrence himself. It was a terrible thought. He didn't want to lose their relationship. They were close. If Sammy left, Joey would be alone again. ‘No, please, how can I make amends’, Joey Drew said in his mind what he should have said out loud.   
"What did you do with Susie?" Drew was shaking with fear. From disappointment in yourself. For everything he’ve done. But he knew that he had to finish what he had started. Whatever it takes. These people would probably want the same thing. He knew Susie wanted it.  
"She... How to explain it...". The man fell limp. He really didn't know how to explain what had happened.   
"Bendy said she was.. Not Alice?". Lawrence became more serious. Even bolder. Now he was cornering Drew, not Drew him.   
"He...He's wrong." Joey started talking. He also wanted to get rid of this conversation as soon as possible, but something told him that he would not get out of it so easily. "Miss Campbell is a perfect match for Alice, which is why I chose her to implement this idea!". He opened his hands, trying to improve the situation, which he didn't do very well. Lawrence leaned back in his chair in shock.  
  
He still didn't understand anything, but he knew for sure that the person sitting in front of him was crazy. He threw an innocent girl into formalin, gasping for breath. Sammy didn't know what Drew was doing with the other employees, but it looked like murder to Lawrence. He got up and walked quickly to the door, but Joey caught up with him and took his hand to stop him. The man jerked his hand away and looked at drew with a startled, disgusted look. Drew's eyes were beginning to fill with tears. "Please, please, understand," he thought again, what he wanted to say out loud.   
"Sammy...". Joey said with shaking voice, " Please don't go. I can explain everything, please...". Sammy started backing away. "Please, please!". Drew's legs began to give way again and it was obvious that it was difficult for him to stand, but for him now it was not important. Just don't let Sammy leave. Tears were already streaming down his cheeks and he closed his eyes in pain. Suddenly he felt hands on his waist. Lawrence hugged him, trying to hold him.   
"Why would you do all this? All that... crazy?". Joey put his head on Sammy's shoulder.   
"I... I just wanted to Achieve my dreamers and goals...". Now the tears were even more intense. The voice couldn't stop shaking. "This has gone too far, I know...". He sighed. Sammy hugged him a little tighter. Still, it's nice when a person accepts their mistakes. And he will surely improve. Lawrence was ready to help him.   
"But I won't stop."  
Sammy recoiled. Joey's legs no longer hurt. He stood straight. It was like he was looking down on him. There was a feeling that in a moment he was replaced. He was frightening again. Joey wiped his eyes. He didn't cry anymore.   
"You can't make me stop. I will continue my work...". The man took a pack of cigarettes from his back pocket and lit one. Sammy was silent. He was trying to put together a complete picture of what was happening. Drew exhaled a thick cloud of smoke. "Even if several people have to...". He walked around Sammy, examining him. There was something else in his hand besides a cigarette. Joey swung what turned out to be a small dagger at Sammy and shouted, " DIE!". Fortunately, Lawrence managed to Dodge and run out and close the door behind him, leaning against it so that Joey could not run out. What should he do? If he lets go of the door, Joey Drew's gone mad will definitely attack him. Drew was quiet. There was a cry outside the door. "For what?! Why me?!". He fell to the floor. His legs failed him. Joey continued to say something as the musician moved slowly away from his boss's office, toward the Music Department. At one point, he just started running until he reached Bendy's room. Pick the lock. He jumped in, no matter how much he wanted to visit Norman.

"Bendy!" Sammy called, "Where are you?". No one answered. No one was there. Lawrence went around the room looking for clues as to where Bendy might have gone, but found nothing. He dropped on the floor in the corner of the room and pulled out a small notebook with a pen attached to it. He flipped through the pages looking for an empty sheet, and on the first one he came across he quickly wrote:  
"He found out we were with him."  
There was a lot more that he could have written or said, but there was a knock on the door. Sammy quickly wrote his initials, but he didn't open the door. He listened to it. Another knock on the door. Someone tried to get in, but the door was locked. Knock. Knock. Faster. Now the door was being smashed. Sammy covered his head with his hands, squinting. He felt in terrible danger. The man felt the ink cover the room again. The door was knocked out. The intruder couldn't see Sammy. He heard the click of heels. Dripping of some liquid. Heavy breathing. And a hoarse, feminine voice. No longer melodic.  
"Joey Drew. I'll kill him... Say you'll help me, Bendy." There were light footsteps now. Quiet breathing. And a deep voice that spoke only one word:  
"No". The woman became enraged and started screaming. Sammy was sure everyone had heard it. The door slammed, but the blackness didn't break. It was clear that Bendy was protecting him. The man was still afraid to open his eyes.  
"Don't you see what he did?! I'll never be the same, Bendy, you know?". Her voice broke, but she kept screaming. "Aren't you tired of him? He keeps you in this one room for so long. You came out for the first time in your life today! He's tormenting you, Bendy, don't you understand that?". Sammy opened his eyes and saw Susie... disfigured. With horns on her head, with ink wounds, white skin. The skin on her hands was baggy and cracked. One of her eyes was completely black. Ink flowed from it like tears. She wasn't herself. Bendy examined her. Exhaled. The ink vibrated. The whispers spread throughout the room. Lawrence and Campbell's legs were wrapped in Bendy's ink. Now he could communicate with them.  
"I can't kill Joey as well as he can’t kill me. He tried, but as it turns out, our lives depend on each other. You see, Joey managed to create me, Bendy. Not ideal, but alive. That didn't happen in your case. You fought for your life and got out early. And you and your character, Alice, merged. If you'd stayed there longer, you'd have a live Alice Angel, but like me, not perfect, because you don't fit the role, just like Joey doesn't fit Bendy. You would have to maintain the life of the creature you created. But you'd be in pain, just like him." Sammy heard sobs. Susie was crying. He would have run to her and hugged, but he froze in fear. "If he uses other workers, they will have the same fate as you. I am very sorry... All we can do now is warn the others." The girl fell on the floor, covering her face with her hands and letting her tears flow. The ink was gone. Susie and Sammy's feet Has black marks on them.

Sammy got up from the floor and walked over to Bendy. He was scared, too.


	5. Loops

The room that Audrey and Sammy entered to catch up with the rest of the group was huge. There were papers everywhere, bits of wood, and barrels full of ink or water. It was very bright, unlike other parts of the Studio. There was a wide table in the middle, littered with more garbage, including cans of bacon soup. Audrey and Sammy joined the others. They gathered around the table and waited for someone. Wally and Tom greeted them both. Allison gave them a disappointed, rough look. At the head of the table stood a broad-shouldered man in a thick jacket. His hair was grey, and his face was covered with untidy stubble. His eyes were brown, but they looked almost yellow in the light. "It must be Henry," Audrey thought, and so it turned out. The man greeted the newcomers and introduced himself to Audrey. The first thing he asked was about her appearance. 

  
"I thought you could answer that question. To me, she looks like a half-Lost One. Can ink affect her like this?", Sammy asked. He was still concerned about this issue.

Audrey was standing at his side, and she could see half of his face under the mask. His face was as inky as his body. He had hair, but it didn't look real at all, like it was plastic. And also in ink. His eyes were Golden. And infinitely sad. 

  
"You may be right, Sammy. "

The man examined the girl. He knew exactly who was standing in front of him, but he didn't know if she remembered him. He would have been incredibly pleased.

"Do you remember anything? Before you got... here." Audrey shook her head. Henry exhaled. "All right... We’ll talk about it later. Are you here for something else?" Allison nodded and nudged Audrey. 

  
"Give him your letters." 

  
"What?! I'm not going to do this!", she protested. "Since when did I obey you?"

She didn't want to let some strange woman control her just because no one else does. That is, just like that. Sammy pulled Allison away from Audrey. 

  
"What's gotten into you? What are this letters?"

The girl recoiled from him. 

  
"Your letters, as far as I know."

The man looked at her in disbelief. Audrey trusted Sammy, so she gave the letters to him. The woman tried to snatch them away, but the man took them faster. He quickly read what was written on the first letter. 

  
"I don't remember writing this... Did you find anything else?" The girl nodded. 

  
"Right before you found me. There was a dictaphone in that room with recording of your voice. You told me that you taught Bendy to talk. With certain Susie."

Everyone stared at them both. Especially Henry. He never found notes from other workers. Maybe he just hadn't been where Audrey was, or maybe he wasn't looking as closely. 

  
"If these notes and letters are still here, then they were made after the Studio turned into a living nightmare. Isn't it?", Tom turned to Henry. The man nodded at him. 

  
"Records are made by those who want to remember something after a "Loop" happens. The Loop is a repetition of the same event. Records are made in order to remember everything that happened before, in the last loop, so as not to forget everything. That's why I remember everything. Records remain regardless of whether you started over or not. Everything that was there before the Studio flooded was gone. All that you see now, appeared only after. These recordings were about something that was before the Studio. This is not entirely possible."

Audrey looked back at Sammy. He understood as much as Audrey did. Nothing at all. 

  
"It could be someone trying to confuse us."

Allison hissed. Tom pulled her back, trying to calm her down, which didn't work very well. 

  
"No, of course, Sammy could have left it, but then only in the first loop." 

  
"It doesn't make any sense. Why make entries only in the first loop, and then do nothing?", Wally asked.

No one understood anything anymore. Sammy personally wanted to get away from here. There had never been so much attention around him, and he didn't really want to change that. If he changes the subject, everyone will immediately understand why. Allison would put more pressure on him and Audrey, and Henry would continue to discuss this. He just hoped that soon they would understand the reason and everything would be better. 

Wally, Tom, Henry and Allison continued to talk about records and Audrey, while she and Sammy sat on one of the barrels. 

  
"Who the hell is that Susie?", the girl finally broke the silence. 

  
"As If I still knew", the man exhaled and removed the mask, twisted it and began to examine it. He didn't like to show his face, but the others don't look, and Audrey seems to be the only one who can understand everyone. "I have already found such audio, from my narrative. I thought someone was making fun of me. You see, the dictaphone was lying where it wasn't last night. Just appeared out of nowhere", Sammy looked at the girl.

His eyes glowed white instead of gold. Maybe it's the lighting again. 

  
"What was there?" , The man turned away again.

  
"Get ready to hear everything. I listened to it so often to see what it might mean, that I learned what it said."

He took a deep breath and began to speak:

  
"Joey wants to kill Bendy. But, of course, there is no reason", the man thought a little, remembering what happened next. "He didn't bother anyone. Never. I asked Bendy. Of course, to do this, he had to talk to me through ink. He said Joey didn't like what happened. He wants to replace Bendy, create a perfect one."

Sammy paused, as if suddenly realizing something.

"Bendy says he can't do it. But... what the hell happened next... hm... Here. Joey can do anything"

The man put the mask back on and started talking under his breath, as if the next words were something bad.

"I'll try to convince him. I think I can do it, " Sammy breathed. For some reason, his voice was shaking. Perhaps from fear, or perhaps from something else... "We're after all supposed to be... close... right?... "

He stopped and turned away. Audrey didn't know what was wrong. It seems to be something on a personal level.

"And then someone knocked on the door. There was a fight, or something similar. A strange voice was asking where Susie had gone."

  
"The one you taught Bendy to talk to!"

Sammy nodded. 

  
"It said that Joey Drew told some employee to pick her up. On that note, both I and the other person left. After a while, the tape stopped recording on itself."

Audrey leaned against the wall. Is someone trying to remind Sammy of his past? This was the first thought that had occurred to her, even from the moment he had noted that the recording had appeared out of nowhere. 

  
"What do you think happened to Bendy? In audio and letters, he is described as good, but here..."

  
"The thing that goes around the Studio and terrorizes everyone it touches is definitely not the Bandy that was mentioned there, Yes." The man got up and stood in front of the girl. "This audio said that Drew wanted to replace him. Maybe the Ink Demon is an attempt to replace the Benevolent Bendy?"

Audrey giggled at Sammy's name for the Demon. Benevolent. Good name. 

  
"Sounds logical"

Wally was standing behind him. He smiled. 

"How long have you been standing here, puppy?", the man turned to him. Wally rolled his eyes. 

  
"I just came up, I just heard about your theories and that's it. As it is, I wanted to say that we are already leaving." The guy turned to Audrey. "And Henry wanted to talk to you." The girl nodded. 

  
"And where are we going? Back to a safe place?", Sammy asked. The boy shook his head. 

  
"Search For Alice."

The man looked at him questioningly, waiting for an explanation.

"She left before we got here. Probably looking for Joey Drew again. She must be returned."

  
"Is Joey Drew alive?" Both Wally and Sammy shrugged. 

  
"That's why she's looking for him. To find out", Wally answered. 

  
"And if he's alive, kill him", Sammy continued.

How friendly they all are in this place. The girl sighed, resigned to precode her new friends. It is not clear where they’ll search for Alice, but there are a lot of people in here, so they can be divided if that. 

While everyone was already on their way to find Alice, Audrey still needed to talk to the leader. Henry was waiting for her at the same table. He was recording something, but when the girl came closer, he stopped recording and smiled at her. 

  
"You must be confused, right?" The girl nodded, smiling back at him. "You still haven't told me your name." 

  
"Oh, shit, I'm sorry." The man laughed. "My name is Audrey", she said.

Henry suddenly seemed to wake up. 

  
"Audrey?" The girl nodded. "That's it, huh?... That's my daughter's name", he mentioned.

It was obvious from his face that he missed her incredibly. It's probably awful to realise that your daughter is out there, alone, without a father. And he can't even get out of here. Wally mentioned something like that. The Studio, or the ink itself, seems to tighten, lure. This is crazy. Perhaps just some sort of excuses. Although, they probably would not have created excuses not to leave this place. No one would want to stay here for more than a couple of hours. Especially considering the Ink Demon.

"You probably also want to know why you look like this?" The girl nodded. "Well, my theory is this. When you were in the first loop, you got caught in the ink and it started working, turning you into a Lost One." He saw the question on her face. "The Lost Ones are the employees of the Studio, which had not turned into a toon. They're covered in ink and they have Golden eyes, just like you."

  
"And Sammy." The man nodded. 

  
"But after the first loop, you remembered what ink can do. Maybe not in general, but subconsciously, but this is already great, and the ink stopped spreading after, because there wasn’t enough to cover you whole after the first Loop" Henry smiled again.

Audrey smiled back at him. Something about the man's smile was warming.  
He straightened up and put his hands on his hips as he looked at Audrey.

"Any other questions? I don't really know what else to talk about with you. I just wanted to explain the situation about your appearance to you a little bit." He let out a chuckle.

The girl shook her head.

"Then I suggest you catch up with the others. They must be far away by now, and Alice must not be left alone. You never know what she might do."

Audrey left the room and looked around the hallways. She didn't know where to go first. The girl clutched the part of the pipe that Henry had given her when she left. At least she had something to throw in the face of the Ink Demon before running away from him. She let out a breath and walked forward. She was again accompanied by whispers, joined by soft singing. She couldn't quite make out the words of the song, but it was about sadness and loneliness. She wondered how long all these people had been here. It feels like time has stopped within the walls of the Studio. Everyone lives for today, not knowing if they will live to see tomorrow, but still fighting. But against whom? Against Joey Drew or the Ink Demon? Or both of them? Or against... Benevolent Demon? Why would anyone want to go against him? He seems to be one of the good characters in this story. She didn't know what anyone wanted to achieve here. Personally, she wanted to know more.  
  


The girl looked into various rooms and offices, not so much in search of Alice as in search of new letters and audio recordings. The singing got louder and louder and she could finally hear what the song was about. The singing came from the farthest room in the corridor. Audrey was afraid to go there, but still succumbed to the temptation of curiosity and went at the call of singing. The voice was deep and masculine. It echoed against the walls, making it even louder. Audrey went to the room where the singing was coming from. She tried her best not to signal her presence, so as not to accidentally startle the singer, but the floor in the Studio wanted the opposite. There was a too-loud creaking sound under her feet, and the singing stopped. Audrey cursed the wooden floor in her head.

"Who's there?"

She held her breath, as if that would help. Nothing followed the question, as well as the singing. Even the whispers faded away. Audrey didn't know what to do, and she didn't dare leave. Suddenly, the door began to open slowly. There was nothing to be seen beyond it - complete darkness and even the light in the corridors could not illuminate it.

Curiosity killed the cat.

Audrey entered the room slowly and carefully, holding the piece of pipe in front of her, just in case. As soon as she crossed the threshold, the door slammed behind her and she found herself in pitch darkness, but it didn't last long. The darkness, which turned out to be something resembling ink, spread out across the room, soaking into the cracks in the walls and opening up a view of the walls themselves and what was in the room. The floor was covered with drawings. Flowers, sun, different clouds, mountains. The drawings were similar to children's, but they made a good landscape. In the middle of it all, a small umbrella was drawn, outlined in white chalk, as if this drawing should be quite neutral. Audrey moved closer, examining each drawing as if it meant something.

"Who are you?", someone asked her.

She looked around in fright, wondering how she could have missed someone here. But there really wasn't a soul around.

"My name is Audrey... I'm kind of new here.. ", the girl replied, trying not to sound scared. She could hear her heart pounding.

"Audrey, you say... I really don't know you. Which is strange. I know every damn soul in this place", the voice continued to converse with her, still not revealing who it was.

The girl again looked around in an attempt to find at least some hint of the person with whom she was talking, but not finding anyone, continued the conversation.

"Who are you? And where are you? ", she asked. There was a chuckle in response.

"You don't know me and you don't need to know me. I'm happy to meet you, but I think you need to move on, " he replied. This answer did not satisfy Audrey.

"I'm afraid I won't leave until you answer me"

The voice was silent. Something began to creak behind her. She turned around. The door opened slowly. The hint is understood, but not accepted. The girl turned back, ignoring the stranger's suggestion. The silence continued. The stranger didn't want to show himself, and Audrey didn't want to wait or leave.

"Well... I see you've already joined Sammy's company. Just as stubborn as him."

This was not what she had expected to hear. Anything but a comparison with Sammy.

"You know, I haven't seen him in a long time... I know that he constantly meets the Ink Demon and fights with it, but he forgets to visit me..."

Has he decided to vent right now? Audrey couldn't find a connection between this stranger and the Demon. He went on, getting quieter and quieter, as if he were ashamed, talking about how everyone had abandoned him and forgotten, and all he was doing from now on was guarding something. He hasn't spoken to anyone for so long that he's slowly starting to become mute again.

Again?

"You still haven't said who you are", Audrey reminded him.

The stranger paused in his monologue. Something began to creak again, as if someone was shifting from one foot to the other, hesitating before answering. There was a loud exhalation. The stranger muttered something under his breath, but still answered:

"I don't have a specific name. Everyone addresses me differently "  
  
A black figure began to appear from the wall. The first thing that appeared was a head with two sharp horns that dripped ink.  
  
"Some call me a nonentity, not worthy to exist here, interfering with their plans," he laughed to himself.  
  
The next thing the girl saw was a torso with a white bow on the collarbone.  
  
"Others say I'm a Defender, a Guardian."   
  
Then two hands reached out to Audrey. One with a white glove, and the other with long claws. The girl started to walk away slowly, trying not to scream.  
  
"First I had to be Bendy."  
  
Before her now stood the Ink Demon. But its shape was more human. He was just a thin man, tall, and with horns. The ink dripped over his eyes and only his mouth was visible. No ink dripped from other parts of the body. It's like he just has very black skin, just like Lost Ones.  
  
"Sammy and Susie called me Benny", he smiled sadly, "From the word Benevolent."


End file.
